Help My School Sucks And Nobody Will Listen

From the Tribune and Georgian.

Parent looking for others struggling with special education

Dear Editor,
I have an 8-year-old son who has ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder) and dyslexia. He is in the second grade at Sugarmill Elementary School.I have had nothing but complaints since day one. Every day my son comes home, he's complaining about what the teacher has done or said to him. I have talked to her, had meetings with her, I have spoken to the principal, Mr. (Mike) Van Horne, Assistant Principal Mr. (Tim) Morris. I've even spoken to Dr. (Beverly) Strickland at the (Camden County) Board of Education. Nothing has been done. The problem has gotten worse, and no one will hear me.
Whenever I spoke with Mr. Van Horne, he told me he has 100 percent trust in his teachers so, basically, what my son was saying was a lie. I have asked, "Could I just show up at the school to observe from the outside?" I was told yes, but I had to give notice as to when I was coming. I feel like the school system has something to hide and they are not being straight up with me. I have done all that I know to do, but as a parent, must I say a good parent, what do you do when your child comes home crying about what the teacher has said or done to him?I am a 28-year-old African-American mother who is very concerned about her kids' education. When my kids started Sugarmill, I thought this was a fair school, but turns out it seems not. I think that the school system should have cameras in the classrooms because every child isn't lying about the teachers. Some teachers are there for the money and not the kids.I hope that there is someone who is reading this who will reach out to me.Thank you.

Johndrell S. Walker
St. Marys

Go back and look in April and May of last year in this blog and you will see that this is so much like my case with the school board. If they would only listen and act on these things. I would not have to do this. But then you people would not be having so much fun.

If any one knows this lady please have her contact me.

More from Communist County

From the Tribune and Georgian.

Sheriff Smith is a good man and cares for county

Dear Editor,
For quite some time, I have seen letters to the editor running down Sheriff Bill Smith. It's time someone spoke up on his behalf, and that's what I intend to do.His detractors have short memories. Camden County for many years has been the leading county in our whole nation regarding drug interdiction and cold hard money along with the narcotics. There have been times since Bill Smith took office that the cartel in south Florida has been considering hiring a hit man to kill our sheriff.
And the cash that has been received from these punks has been used for all kinds of projects for Camden County, such as police equipment, not only for the sheriff's office, but city police departments as well. And many dollars have gone to education and many other projects to improve our county.Bill Smith has a heart the size of a basketball, which at times has gotten him in hot water with trustees who have let him down. But he runs a tight ship at the office of the sheriff, and his staff, including Capt. Jim Proctor and the two Sears' (Charlene and Chris Sears) and Col. Charlie Easterling, too. Also, Chuck Byerly and the staff of investigators do their jobs well.And if any deputy sheriff gets out of line, he or she is gone. I have been in law enforcement for over a half century and I'm proud to live in a county where the officers are respected in the county and all our cities.
Thanks be to God!

Go to church Sunday!
Hugh Jenkins
Woodbine

Thanks for the letter Hugh.
I wonder if Col. Charlie Easterling is the one who is building a house in Woodbine with the help of the trustees?

Mr. Jenkins, I have never question weather Mr. Smith is a good man or not. I have only questioned his job performance, which is my right unless you think we as American should not have the right to question our elected officials?

Communist County

A letter from the Tribune and Georgian.

Let the commissioners and sheriff do their jobs in peace

Dear Editor,
Think positive for the Camden County sheriff and commissioners. Leave the sheriff and commissioners alone so they can do their job. How would you like someone in your business, from day to day?We need to get a sweat and challenge and live a real life. Get away from Internet addiction and medication, so the brain can function.
The police, rescue, firemen (and) commissioners have a thankless job; ego is their only reward. The sheriff keeps up with business owners, city hall, Camden County additional needs, etc. He has a responsible team which has an agenda. The police are psychologically immune to conduct of career petty criminals; they spend their daily lives together, year after year.Example: Every man, child, pet, immune to mother's voice or woman in authority; commissioners cannot satisfy everyone, another thankless job. Like "rescue" helping people, who make no attempt to help themselves.Commissioners, police chief, from blue collar background are more valuable for your benefit while others never make a difference.Positive decisions will be made for small rural areas. The more the area expands and develops, deceit will be the agenda.

Loss of election, quiet person has respect; cheap shot at sheriff loses respect.No interaction and face-to-face communication brings future problems.Focus on humanity, love for your fellow person instead of monetary focus and prejudice. There are special blessings and a better quality of life.Tomorrow is promised to no one. No one conserves; soon all will be gone.

James Pasteur Mach
St. Marys





What is this crap all about. This makes as much sense as prisoners on jet skis.

I Am Back

Sorry Folks,
I went to Oklahoma City last week to the DOT Haz Mat training course at the Transportation Saftey Institute. But while I was there I checked out the Federal Building Memorial. I have to say, after checking out the website I posted last week, I left with more questions than answers. I urge everyone to take the trip if you can. It is well worth it.

I know a lot has happened and I will get caught up on it all this week. Look for a letter in the paper this week.

Lots more to post, just don't have time right now.

Check back later today.

Check This Out !!!!!!

http://www.apfn.org/apfn/oklahoma.htm


I say this was the first 9/11. And that Tim is an undercover CIA agent.
I think Tim is still alive. Why? Because how many other men have been put to death in this country inwith 6 years of the crime. Also, look at the date he was to die, 6/11/2001 3months to the day away from 9/11. Read thru that link. Some very strange stuff.

What do you think?

Sears Case Closed

This case is now in the hands of my lawyer and on his advice(demand) I will not be posting on this subject anymore. Any comments made about this case will be delete so don't bother commenting on it.

Now this will allow me to dive head first back into the school board. Please check back for future postings.

Thank you all for your support and comments both for and against. If we all get involved it would make a better Camden County.

Thank you

Rick

For Those Who Think She Did Nothing Wrong

If you think Ms. Sears did nothing wrong then answer this question. Why smear my background on my blog anonymously? Why not come on and say Mr. Rogers why are you saying that? Instead she uses somebody else's fake name to get my blog address and then pulls a background check on me and posts anonymously. Some people have said how do you know she pulled a background check. Well she is the public relations director NOT THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT PSYCHIC. So either she used to work for the PSYCHIC FRIENDS NETWORK or she or someone up there pulled one. So if she thinks I am now slandering her by all means take me to court, but I think since she has been quite since she sent me the slanderous letter, that she is just hoping I will go away. I WON'T.

A Letter From One Of The Sheriff's Supporters

From the T&G

Those who complain about sheriff should try his job
Dear Editor,
Every week (twice a week) I have the privilege of reading your paper. I especially enjoy reading the letters that people such as me send in.That being said, some of the people in this community are amazingly ignorant.
Week in and week out, it never fails. I can always count on someone writing in to complain about someone or something at the sheriff's department. I really hope that the fine men and women at the department don't take heed to these comments.I would encourage those who complain to ponder how they would handle themselves on a daily basis under a microscope. That's how the good people at the sheriff's department have to handle themselves every day, and I think they do a (darn) good job.I would like to address the letter by Mr. (Robert) Southwell ("Sheriff's ethics, competence called to question," Jan. 12). If you are encouraging people to get out and vote, I applaud you. If you are considering throwing your hat into the ring for any public office, I applaud you.That being said, I would also like to remind you that Bill Smith has held his position for a very long time, and it's not by coincidence. I can't remember any election that is so lopsided in this community in recent years, and it's proudly because people like me support what he does.

In my opinion, if you want to publicly bash anyone that does so much for the community, be prepared to catch some flack. You have the right to your opinion and, sir, so do I.Kudos to the sheriff and to the department for what you do every day. Mr. Southwell, I will look forward to reading your platform for your campaign to unseat Bill Smith in the future.

Adam Jacobson
Harriets Bluff

My reply
I would agree some people in this county are ignorant. Mr Jacobson the ignorant ones are not the one writing letters, they are the one who don't get involved and don't know the issues and then go vote. They sit in the poll and go "I know that name, I will vote for him" or " He a Republican I will vote for him." I will tell you, I used to do that to. Then I realize that many people flip flop between parties, Mr. Smith is one of them. So I no longer vote by name or party. I would suggest you do some research. Just goggle Bill Smith Sheriff of Camden County. Then you will see what everyone is talking about. I will try to put together a list of mishaps since this Sheriff has been in office. Also it is not only Mr. Southwell right, it also his duty to question our public officials. You might sit back and think all is fine in your little corner of the world, but in the real world thing are much different.

Commissioners Demanding An Apology

Old news that shows this board must be recalled.

From the Tribune and Georgian

Board chastises Feller for tawdry link on blog

By Mark R. Dorolek

The Camden County Board of Commissioners asked, and received, an apology from Commissioner Sandy Feller about sexually explicit material that was six mouse clicks away from his Web site.The board asked Feller to apologize for the material, inform people that the site was not the official site of the board of commissioners and monitor his site more closely for content, after someone contacted Commissioner Steve Berry about her son finding pornography through Feller’s site.
Berry said a parent contacted him a little more than a week ago about her son doing a report on local politics and accessing Feller’s Web site, where Feller posts his feelings on political happenings going on in the county.Berry said the woman was upset that her son could access pornography through the county’s official site, and he later found out it was Feller’s site.He then showed the crowd gathered at Tuesday’s meeting how through Feller’s profile someone could access the pornography site by going through three pages of profiles and clicking on a link to another person's Web site.“This parent was really upset about it and wanted to know what we were going to do about it, and I really didn’t have a lot of answers to that question,” said Berry.

Commissioner E.B. Herrin described the pornographic site as “gruesome,” and said Feller needed to be held liable.David L. Rainer, chairman of the board of commissioners, said he did not see the site, but that Feller should apologize.“That is all I ask, but you should be ashamed, though,” Rainer added.Commissioner Preston Rhodes also did not see the offensive site and said it was a reasonable request for Feller.Berry said he decided to put an item on the agenda to censure Feller for inappropriate behavior because talking to Feller is a waste of time since he does not listen. Berry said he decided against the censure and asked Feller to do the other tasks.“Unfortunately, I learned very early, and I think the other commissioners have, too, is that the problem with Mr. Feller is that it is pretty much a waste of time because he tells you in a New York minute what he thinks and where to go,” Berry said.Berry said he instructed Executive Secretary Diana Smith to tell Feller if he had any questions about the situation to tell him it was about his Web site and to have Feller call Berry so he could tell Feller what the problem was.Berry said he did not receive a call, while Feller said Smith never told him to call Berry.Smith said she did give Feller the message and told him to call Berry.Feller said he knew nothing of the inappropriate site until the weekend and as soon as he found out he called for technical support and it took a couple of days to get the link off his site. He said he also contacted the FBI about the situation and hired other computer service people to look into it.“How this got there? I don’t know,” said Feller.He said he did not even see the obscene site until a Jacksonville, Fla., television crew showed up at his office on Monday and walked him through the links to the site. He also said the reporter told him Berry had given them the information about the site, which Berry denied.“They just showed up at my office exactly like they did at yours,” Berry said.Feller said Berry was trying to make a media event of the situation and if he was really concerned about the children of Camden County Berry would have called Feller instead of going through other channels.“The plain fact of the matter is, if he wants to make a political football out of it, God bless him. That is his prerogative,” said Feller, adding, “As far as this incident is concerned, I am profoundly sorry.”He said there was no doubt that he would also monitor his site more closely in the future.Herrin said he did not inform Feller about the inappropriate site because he did not know about it until recently and Rainer said he did not view the content of the site so he did not know exactly what was there.Rhodes said he did not inform Feller because it was not his responsibility to monitor the site and Feller should have known about the links.

Why are they not demanding an apology from Ms. Sears?

It's too late to for an apology. I will except nothing less than her resigning from the board and being fired from the Sheriff's Office.

COUNTY MEETING TONIGHT WEAR YOUR BEST YOU NEVER KNOW WHO WILL SHOW UP.

Open Records Request For The Sheriff's Office

Click on image to enlarge

Commissioners In Hiding

Apparently, the County commissioners are in hiding. And well they should be. We are coming after them. I have one person who said they would help with the recall in District 4. That just leaves 3 more districts as I will handle district 5. All we need is one person from each district to get the proper paper work filled out. Any one wanting to help please e-mail me.

Ms. Sears if you just would have done things differently we would not be here today. I wonder why you still have a job at the Sheriff's Office? That really puts the Sheriff in a jam. He could fire you, but than how would that look. A County Commissioner that got fired from the Sheriff's Office.

I do need anyone who is concerned about Sheriff Office employees doing background checks and pulling credit histories to write a letter to the editor. Lets throw everything we got at these people and let them know here in America we are ruled BY THE PEOPLE.

Please Be Aware

It has been brought to my attention that illegal phone taps are in place in Camden County.

That's all I am going to say. I don't know if it is true, but I have no reason to doubt it.

The Real School Police Going National

I just got off the phone with the Sean Hannity Show. We are scheduling an appearance for next week. Time and date still TBD. Will let you know as it develops. They are very interested in the domestic spying that is taking place at the Sheriff's Office.

THIS IS NOT GOING TO STAY IN CAMDEN COUNTY.

These are very serious charges and the fact that the Board of Commissioners have not spoken on this leads me to believe that more than just Ms. Sears may be involved in this mess.

Are you Commissioners sure you don't want to talk to me???????

Attention All Camden County Citizens

If you have had enough of this Sheriff and the way he runs OUR jail, please call this number:
202-250-3499. Ask for Greg Slate. Tell him that I told you to call in reference to the Camden County Sheriff's Office.

I have decided that we can not wait until 2008 to clean house. If we wait this County will be run into the ground. We must act now.

I need one volunteer from each district. Each of us will have to go to Woodbine to get a RECALL petition. Once we have the petition we will have to gather signatures, and once we have enough signatures we will have a recall election. This election will be a yes or no vote. the question on the ballot will be Should the Commissioner be recalled. A simple yes or no answer. Then we will have another election to elect Commissioners who will work for us and who will do what the people want not what the Commissioners want.

All I wanted was simple apology.

For anyone concerned about a backlash from the Sheriff or a Commissioner need not worry. If anything happens Greg at the Police Complaint Center has guaranteed me he will be here in a New York minute.

Anyone one wanting to help can e-mail me at the link provided in the links section.

The Time Has Come

I am publicly calling for Sheriff Smith to fire AT-WILL employee Charlene Sears. She has proven herself to be unfit for any government job. And I am also calling for her to resign for position as County Commissioner.

The people of Camden County are starting to realize that these SO-CALLED leader in our county are only out for themselves. Case in point, How much money did the county offer Durango to update the paper mill? This is a question because I don't know. But I do know they are talking about giving Land-Mar 17 million. Now 17 million may not have solved the problems with the mill, but would have been a start. But instead of keeping good paying jobs in Camden County the Commissioners would rather get kick backs and other personal things from the big land developers.(This is only my opinion and not has not been facted check, like there is a way to check). Next election we the people MUST clean house.

T&G Asks "Who's The Boss"

From the Tribune and Georgian


Who's really in charge, Sears or the sheriff?
Should a commissioner vote on an agenda item if there is an obvious conflict of interest, a matter where even the dimmest person would say "whoa, that's just not right"?Of course not. There are legal boundaries that should prevent such a vote from taking place.
Taking it one step further, should a commissioner vote on an agenda item where there is even the appearance of impropriety? The legal waters may be muddy, but the ethical stream is running true and clear.Of course, there should be no vote.Newly installed county commissioner Charlene Sears is going to face one ethical question after another during her term until she takes a step back and declares her conflict of interest as an employee of the Camden County Sheriff's Office.Until she accepts and declares this conflict of interest openly and publicly, it's going to be hard for citizens to believe that her votes that have to do with the sheriff's office have not been influenced by her position there.

A compounding factor is that Sears' husband also works for the sheriff's office.Sears has declared that she will only abstain from votes that have a direct financial impact on her position in the sheriff's office. So she will not be voting on the county budget.This is a no-brainer, but it should be just the tip of the iceberg.Tuesday night, Sears voted to approve SPLOST funding, to the tune of $10 million, to renovate and expand the county jail. She may say that this vote was for the best of the citizens she was elected to represent, but it also happens to be the best thing for her daytime boss, Sheriff Bill Smith.Sears is an at-will employee of the sheriff's office. It would be very easy for the sheriff to hold her job over her head to guarantee the votes he needs for any sheriff's office-related project. We may hear vehement denials from Sears and Smith that this could never happen, but the reality is, it could, and since it is even a possibility, Sears should abstain from all votes that have to do with the sheriff's office.This is not to say that Sears can't be an advocate for sheriff's office projects that come before the commission. Indeed, it would be her duty to argue strongly and persuasively in front of the other commissioners to make her point and convince them of the value of a project. This is how she could serve her constituents and remain high above the ethical bar.There is little legal precedent for Sears' case as a sheriff's office employee serving as a county commissioner and there have been even fewer legal opinions coming forth to assist her. Jim Grubiac, general counsel for the Association County Commissioners of Georgia, declined to comment on the issue and Brent Green, Camden County attorney, also refused to take a stand on the issue.Of course, Green is also an at-will county employee who may have little incentive to take a stand, and plenty of incentive to keep his mouth shut.The question still stands: Who's the boss? Sears has influence over the sheriff's office budget. The sheriff controls whether Sears or her husband retain their jobs. The sheriff also contributed to Sears' campaign for commissioner. You do the math.Sears must abstain from all votes that have to do with the sheriff's office. The law may not require it, but ethics demands it. It's the only way those votes can be seen as untainted by favoritism.

Slanderous Statement By Charlene Sears

I am issuing this statement to bring clarification to two issues that have unfortunately become problematic.

Issue One. There is no conflict of interest in my being an employee of the Camden County Sheriff’s Office and my serving on the Camden County Board of Commissioners. I work for Sheriff Smith and do my best to complete the tasks he assigns, but I was also elected by the people to serve as a County Commissioner. Jim Proctor, who is currently the Jail Administrator at the Camden County Sheriff’s Office also served on the Board of Commissioners while employed by Sheriff Smith. His solution was to join in all discussions by the board but not to vote on any budget line items concerning the Sheriff’s Office. This precedent worked well for Maj. Proctor and I see no reason why it will not work equally well for me.

Issue two. There has been some discussion about an entry that was posted on a blog hosted by Mr. Rick Rogers. The entry was made as a response to a posting by Mr. Rogers in which he insinuated that I was having an inappropriate relationship with Sheriff Smith. As a wife of 14 years I was stung by his unfounded, unsubstantiated and malicious attack. I did post a response on his blog and my response was posted from a Sheriff’s Office computer. I checked the blog entry while at work after it was brought to my attention. It was not the best way, nor the best forum to respond and rest assured it will not happen again. I now understand that in my position I must accept these criticisms, no matter how unfounded, as part of the job of serving as a county commissioner.

Charlene Sears

Here is the post she is referring to:


Comment by Rick Rogers
This whole Sears deal in really confusing. Who is the boss? Ms. Sears or Bill Smith. Is Bill her boss during the day and she is his boss at night. I don’t understand how the state could say that there is no conflict of interest here.
Posted on December 15, 2006 at 9:55 am

Does any one see anything about her and the Sheriff having any kind of sexual relations here?????????????

Like I have said if this statement makes it way to the paper I will sue Camden County. My lawyers are in place and I will be contacting the Attorney General and the Camden County DA to press criminal charges. Ms. Sears, I expected more from an elected official A simple phone call could have ended this. I asked several times for the commission to call me.
No one did. So continue on with your no commenting selves and I guess I will see you in court.

Please Ask Permission Before E-mailing Your Commissioners

Last night I sent this e-mail off to all the commissioners:

Mr./Ms. Commissioner,
As you all know I was verbally attacked on my blog for asking a simple question. Well it seems this goes back to the Sheriff's Office to a person with the User ID xxxxxx. Really not much to assume there. So I will ask you another question: What are we going to do about this. You can ignore it or you can show the people of Camden County that this will not be tolerated. If you ignore it you will not be reelected I guarantee it. Just ask the two women that used to be on the school board. No they did not run for reelection only because they did not want to deal with me. I asked them at every meeting why they lied. ( remember they said they were going to do a nation wide search and then did a back room vote instead.) It will not be a bother to me to attend every Commissioners meeting. Now this came from an office under your direction and I expect you to do something about it. I can be your best friend or your worst nightmare. Here is what I want:
1. A full explanation from the board on why there is no conflict of interest between Ms. Sears and the Sheriff. ( to include who is the boss and how this relationship works)
2. A public apology in the T&G (half page at least). You may include the explanation in this space as well. This person used their position to dig up dirt on me, this is the least you could do.


This is it. I will post this e-mail on my blog as a reminder to you, that the people you serve are not as dumb as you think. But all the people think that this was about the dumbest thing such a SMART Commissioner could do.

Thank you for your time.

I did get this auto response from Ms. Sears:

I apologize for this automatic reply to your email.
To control spam, I now allow incoming messages only from senders I have approved beforehand.
If you would like to be added to my list of approved senders, please fill out the short request form (see link below). Once I approve you, I will receive your original message in my inbox. You do not need to resend your message. I apologize for this one-time inconvenience.
Click the link below to fill out the request:
https://webmail.pas.earthlink.net/wam/addme?a=ccsears@earthlink.net&id=1h4qnn2c03Nl34i1

To control spam you have to ask permission to e-mail her. I am guessing the rest of the commission will do the same so they can choose who they want to recieve e-mails from as well.

So make sure and get your Commisssioners approval.

Bloggers Are Getting It Done

I love how elected officials decline to comment. Thanks guys. I won't decline to comment.

From the T&G.

Sears faces ethical conflicts

By Emily Goodson

With just one regular meeting under her belt, Commissioner Charlene Sears is already facing some tough decisions.Sears, also the director of public relations for the Camden County Sheriff's Office, said she would cast her vote after press time Tuesday about whether to build a new county jail, but some citizens have recently questioned whether her employment creates a conflict of interest in the matter. Indeed, her position at the sheriff's office will likely mean future potential ethical dilemmas for Sears.
County Attorney Brent Green declined to comment Monday on whether Sears should vote on the jail issue, but said her decisions about which issues to vote on should be carefully considered."You have to take that on a case-by-case basis," Green said.One aspect Sears should consider, Green said, is whether she would receive direct financial benefit from a particular commission vote. Green also said if there is an ethical dilemma in the future, he and Sears will contact the Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) for advice on the issue.Jim Grubiac, the general counsel for ACCG, also declined to comment but did say Sears' situation as a commissioner is unique.

"I doubt it happens much at all," Grubiac said.Sears on Tuesday morning said she planned to cast a vote regarding a new jail."I'll be voting on it," she said.She also said the only issues she will have to abstain from voting on are those from which she or her husband, a sheriff's office investigator, would gain direct financial benefit."I will not be benefitting in any way by the building of a jail," Sears said. "Neither me nor my husband have any interest in the jail; he's an investigator and I work in the administrative division."However, Commissioner Steve Berry said he thinks Sears should abstain from the jail vote, not because there is an ethical dilemma, but because her employment with the sheriff's office simply gives the appearance of impropriety."She's going to cast a vote that could obligate this community to spend $30 to $40 million in new taxes," Berry said. "I think she's going to have to give that vote some very serious consideration."Vice Chairman Katherine Nisi Zell also said she felt Sears should abstain from the jail vote, just so the public does not perceive a conflict of interest."If I were in her shoes, I would abstain from anything that dealt with the sheriff's office directly," Zell said. "I don't know her thought process. I know what I would do."However, Chairman Preston Rhodes said Sears' job on the commission is to represent District 4."It's not about conflict, but it's more about where do we have to go from here," Rhodes said of the jail issue.Rhodes also said he cannot project which future votes Sears should or should not abstain from."My position is I'm going to take issues as they come, in a civil manner, and go from there," he said.Sears' situation as a commissioner is almost identical to that of Capt. Jim Proctor. Proctor, now the jail administrator, was a road deputy several years ago when he decided to run for county commissioner.Upon his election, Proctor forfeited his arrest powers and took a civilian job as assistant jail administrator. He said the only votes he ever abstained from were those involving sheriff's office line items in the county budget, such as the jail, 911 center and patrol budgets."It removed any conflict," Proctor said.Proctor also said he fought as a commissioner to get raises for jail employees, many of whom were leaving for employment in Glynn County. However, Proctor said he abstained from the vote on the motion and did not accept his raise until his term as commissioner was through."I fought really hard for the jailors to get raises," he said. "I wouldn't accept my raise until I came off the board of commissioners."Proctor said he simply did not vote on issues from which he would receive direct financial benefit, though it did not stop him from making his opinions known."I always stated how I felt," he said.Commissioner David Rainer also said he does not see any conflict of interest with Sears voting on a new jail because she would have to receive personal gain from the decision for an ethical dilemma to be present."I don't know what the personal gain would be," Rainer said.Sears is also the only one who will be able to identify conflicts of interest in the future, Rainer said.The county commission had to reach a vote last night on the jail because an agreement has already been reach between the county and three cities - Kingsland, Woodbine and St. Marys - to earmark $10 million of the next Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) vote for a new jail.Rainer said Tuesday morning he was not sure what would happen."I haven't really discussed it with anyone," he said. "I'll have to just see what happens tonight and vote my conscience."For the results of last night's county commission vote on whether to build a new jail, see the Tribune & Georgian's Friday edition.

It's A Brand New Day In Camden County

Today is the start of the new school board. There is a school board meeting tonight at 7:00 pm and yes I will make sure the new board members remember what got them elected. Yes, it was open meetings. Open meetings mean no one is hiding anything. I did notice that executive session is back on the agenda and it just list the reason as personnel. Well that is pretty vague. We need to know what is being discussed in these sessions. The name of a teacher or admin. is not classified, and what they are discussing is not either. Yet this system believes it is. And that will change this year.

Also anyone who has requested a copy of the Board of Ed. payroll, I have not forgot about you. I have been swamped with requests and I am sending them as fast as I can.

Anyone else wanting a copy of the payroll can e-mail me using the link to the left.

I Got It

The name has been removed until I get the response from the Sheriff's Office.

January 8, 2007
SENT VIA E-MAIL AND U.S. MAIL

Rick Rogers
108 Greentree Circle
Kingsland, GA 31548

RE: Open Records Act Request

Dear Mr. Rogers:

I am in receipt of your Open Records Request which desires the name of the person who uses the computer that accessed your blog site on December 18, 2006.

After considerable research, our IT Department has found that although it is impossible to determine who actually accessed your blog site, we were able to determine that the User ID xxxxxxx accessed www.schoolpolice.blogspot.com on December 18, 2006. We have requested that the Camden County Sheriff’s Office provide us with the name of the person who has been assigned that User ID.

Should you have any other questions, please contact me.


Sincerely,

Diana Smith
Executive Assistant/County Clerk

:dks

E-mail Your Commissioner

Here is the new updated address and e-mail for the new Board of Commissioners.


District 1
Term expires 12/31/2008
CHAIRMAN,COMMISSIONER
PRESTON RHODES
P. O. Box 248
White Oak, GA 31568
lbrhodes@tds.net

District 2
Term expires 12/31/2010
VICE-CHAIR,COMMISSIONER
KATHERINE "NISI" ZELL
7656 Harrietts Bluff Rd
Woodbine, GA 31569
zellblnt@tds.net

District 3
Term expires 12/31/2008
COMMISSIONER
STEPHEN L. BERRY
P. O. Box 5100
St. Marys, GA 31558
steveberry@tds.net

District 4
Term expires 12/31/2010
COMMISSIONER
CHARLENE C. SEARS
221 Gunter Street
St. Marys, GA 31558
ccsears@earthlink.net

District 5
Term expires 12/31/2008
COMMISSIONER
DAVID L. RAINER
P. O. Box 435
Kingsland, GA 31548
drainerga@earthlink.net

Still Waiting

Well I thought I would have had a response by now. They said that they would e-mail it to me on Thursday, and now it is Monday. This would be the last legal day they have to respond. I am assuming they all know who did it and are planning someway to get out of it. I am real surprised how quite the Commissioners are on this topic. I e-mailed the big 3 and got no response from them. Got to love those elected officials who are there to serve. Serve what? I don't know, they certainly don't serve the people of this county. If I was a Commissioner and somebody from my office posted something like that I would not stop to that person was gone. But this person, and most of us know who that person is, must be in good with the boys. Will keep you posted.

I would like to thank the new people who are starting to get involved. We need as many people as we can get to turn this county government around and get rid of these self serving people.

The power is with the people and this government can't take that away.

Rules Of My Blog

There is some confusion over my blog so I will clear them up for you.

First of all, This is my blog not yours. I can say whatever I want, and so can you. I do not bring personal issues up, and I don't expect you to either. This blog is about elected official and their job performances, not what they did on Friday night at the bar. I could care less what they do in their personal lives.

Second, You can post anonymously as long as you are talking about the issue. I will not allow my private life or that of any other person to be discussed on this site. Any one who posts personal stuff anonymously that is distasteful will be removed. You do have a right to your opinion and that will not be removed even if it is different from mine. I WILL NOT post your IP address like I did the Commissioners. This is a government computer so it is public knowledge that any one can find out.

Third, I want your opinion. This is the reason for this blog. It gets the community involved in politics since Camden County refuses to be run by the people. This is our county not the 5 commissioner, 1 sheriff, and 5 school board members. Our County. Your opinion matters to me and to some others in the county, but as I have shown some in county could care less what the public think. Going as far as to limit our right to free speech.

I would like to thank those of you who have commented both publicly and by e-mail. I enjoy hearing what other people think about the things that go on in this county. Things will not change if YOU don't stand up and demand it.

Thank you and may God bless you.

No Word Yet

Yesterday, I told you the the Commissioners Office would have my request finished yesterday. Well I did not receive it which leads me to believe I will receive another letter stating they can not pinpoint it. Like I already told you, my sources inside the jail, has told me who the person is. So I already know. All they have to do is confirm it. Which is going to make someone look pretty bad. I really would like to speak to this person. I would like this person to call me at home this weekend so we can discuss this matter. Then maybe I won't tell the world what they did or who they are. This person knows who to ask if they do not have my home phone, but I am guessing they already have it.

Will keep you posted.

Full IP Address Has Been Recovered

I have recovered the full IP address. I sent another open records request in yesterday. They called me to verify some info and said they would email me with the answer to my request today. As soon as I receive the email I will let you all know.

I Have Not Forgotten

I have not heard from the Camden County Commissioners, But I have heard from Sitemeter. They will have that complete IP address for me hopefully by the end of this week. If not it will be next week. Then I will refile my open records request for the person that operates that computer. I know they will have another reason for not being able to locate the correct person. Yes they all know who did it, yet they continue to play games. Well as many of you have told me, I am an expert at these games so let's play.

The Commissioners can save a lot of time and money by just doing what I requested. A simple apology. That's it. I am sorry. That's all I need to see!!

I Could Not Have Said It Better Myself

From the Tribune and Georgian:

New Year's Resolutions for Camden County
As we look forward to 2007, here are some New Year's Resolutions we would like to see made around Camden County:

Camden County Commissioners:

· Let's see an earnest discussion of issues and leave the politics of personal destruction behind.
· Hire a professional county manager from outside Camden County and give him or her an employment contract with some security built in. The only way a manager is going to be perceived as legitimate and independent of the commissioners is for that person to be an outsider.
· Start openly discussing and making a plan for growth management, including what to do about water and sewer for the north end. Putting off a decision until the future isn't a good policy.
· Get rid of at-will employment.

The City of St. Marys:

· Establish the Tax Allocation District for the mill property and do everything possible to get that property cleaned up and redeveloped.
· Confront the problem of the overburdened sewage system. That smell downtown after a rain is only going to get worse.
· Start working toward building a downtown theater.· Stay out of court unless it's absolutely necessary.

The City of Kingsland:

· Encourage citizen participation in government by allowing more open and free-wheeling discussions at council meetings.
· Keep going with downtown redevelopment.
· Work to reduce crime, especially drug crime in the city.
· Plan for continued population growth.

The City of Woodbine:
· Work to enhance commercial development.
· Look at surrounding areas for possible annexations.
· Get going on the renovation of the theater.

Camden County Sheriff's Office:
· Provide a full explanation of just what happened that day when the trusty crashed a sheriff's office jet ski into a private dock.
· Provide a full accounting of how the trustys are used as labor around the county. What are the taxpayers receiving?
· We'd like to hear the sheriff himself address some of the issues facing his office.

Camden County Schools:
· Work to improve the graduation rate and increase the number of graduates going to college.
· Seek public input on major decisions and respect the public's opinion.

The citizens of Camden County:

· Get involved.
· Question how every tax dollar is spent. Never forget that it is your money the government is spending.
· Demand answers from elected officials. Never forget that they work for you. You may have to remind them of this fact.
· If elected officials fail to be responsive or clear in their responses, work hard to get them out of office and replaced with someone who will be responsive.